“Please, stop screaming now! We’ve landed!” Samantha mentally pleaded, a headache now starting to materialize.

“I will remember this, Sam. I will remember that you dropped me.” Silas vowed menacingly.

“Oh, come on. You were in my robes the whole time and we fell together. It wasn’t even that far.”

“For you! For you, who is the size of a giant it was not that far. For me…?”

Samantha stifled a chuckle at his assertion that her somewhat average 5’4” frame was “giant” and pushed on, “You jumped plenty high that first night when we formed our bond! You leapt completely over my head at one point, remember? What’s so different here?”

“Well, for one thing, I could actually see the whole time. Blinded inside these stinky robes, it felt like we were falling forever!” He griped. “Speaking of which, can I come out now? There are more bad smells around and this isn’t helping.”

“Not long now. I’m feeling dead on my feet, so I need to find someplace safe to sleep. Then you can come out.”

“You don’t think people are going to look at you funny when you walk around with a big lump in your robes?”

Samantha scowled. He did have a point there. She continued, “Well, I’m hoping that no one notices me at all, but… what do you suggest, then? I could stash you in the pack but then you might get smooshed under all the other stuff in there.”

“You forget, I have higher Resilience now! Seriously, these clothes smell, so I’ll take my chances.”

Samantha did a quick scan of the area, moving over to a discreet alleyway where she didn’t sense anything nearby and she was out of sight of the wall guardians. She set the pack down and unbuckled the top flap, “Fine, let’s make it fast then. Let me know if you want to go back to the robes, okay?”

Silas hopped out of a large gap near her neckline and transferred himself to her backpack. It was a tight squeeze, but he made no indication that he wanted to return to the robes. Adjusting the boar pelt so that it somewhat disguised the high quality of the pack, she refitted the straps over her shoulders and started travelling northeast.

“Yeah, don't expect to be hearing me ask for that.” He assured. “Also, I thought you said Yivesh was nice! This is--I mean the air here almost smells as bad as something dead and rotting. Were you lying, or is this what you humans consider to be ‘nice’? If so…”

“No, this is just the worst part of town. You’ll be able to experience the 'nice' parts in the morning, I promise.”

Samantha had chosen to sneak in over the western portion of the wall, landing her at the far edge of the mortal slums. This shantytown was where the very lowest on the social hierarchy gathered in one place, forming a sort of “community”. Those in extreme poverty, people who did the dirty jobs no one else wanted to, the mentally ill, criminals who couldn’t be trusted with honest work, prostitutes, addicts, and others that the city had deemed “undesirable” had come together to form a place of their own on the outskirts and away from the public eye.

This region of Yivesh was a hotspot for disease and violent crimes, at least if what she heard from others could be believed, but she didn’t know much else about it. During her time as a mortal, there was no good reason to visit the area, and people mostly avoided discussing the slums at all if they could. This was a place where the Enforcers did not bother to regulate, so long as the residents didn’t cause too much trouble in the city proper. It was a place where respectable cultivators wouldn't be caught dead near. In short, it was the perfect place for someone like her to hide.

The ground she walked was unpaved, and the dirt was so littered with bits of refuse that it was reminiscent of the fallen leaves on the forest floor she had become so familiar with. From what she could tell, there were soggy and torn paper shreds, pieces of shattered glass, ashes and stubs from smoke-sticks, discarded infant diapers, rotting food, broken sections of furniture, and countless other types of trash around. The smells of human waste and unwashed bodies threatened to make her gag with her enhanced senses active, but she refused to make herself blind and deaf to try and spare her nose.

Most “homes” were sheets of metal or wood that were leaned and stacked precariously upon one another, held together with rope, creativity, and determination alone. Some abodes were remnants of actual houses, but even those were in poor condition with broken out windows and cracks in the walls. A few families had no permanent shelter at all, piling close together in makeshift tents for warmth.

She kept moving closer to the center of town, avoiding eye contact with any who were awake and wandering the streets at this hour. There were a surprising amount of people she passed in her exploration, but with her disheveled appearance and torn up robes, she looked like anyone else around here from afar. As such, most seemed content to mind their business as much as she was.

As she left the immediate area near the wall, the environment did improve significantly. There were less shacks and lean-tos and more intact buildings, though still in somewhat poor condition. In addition, there was significantly less garbage strewn around the roadways. She was practically breathing fresh air again!

Eventually, she found an old 2-story wood and adobe building with a slightly slanted roof that looked like workable resting spot. There seemed to be some sort of broken in wooden shutters at the top, and a cursory scan of the building told her that it had been abandoned for quite some time. Dust had settled on on the rotting wood floors, and it was undisturbed by any squatters as far as she could tell. To be safe, she stretched her senses for any oddities, but couldn't detect any movement or life from within. All things considered, this was proabably the best she could hope for.

She moved towards the staircase at the back and began to climb, confirming that she was the only living thing in this house. Unfortunately, it seemed like there was no good way up into the attic from here. The ladder leading up had crumbled long ago, and any attempt to use the edges of the opening in the ceiling to pull herself up only resulted in a rain of wood splinters and dust falling down on her head. It seemed the only way in was from the window she first saw outside.

Going back outside, she looked up with some skepticism at the windowsill. With 3 qi remaining in her pool, she had just enough for one attempt to get into the attic. If it broke under her weight when she reached it, she'd have to be satisfied with the safety that the 2nd floor offered. She took a deep breath and warned Silas of the incoming leap, then activated Swift. She could feel him brace himself through their bond as she ran towards the wall and jumped. A few hops later and she grabbed hold of the windowsill, pushing ahead even as she felt the soft wood compress under her weight. With a heave, she flung herself up and through the window slot, landing as gently as she could manage onto the rickety floors below, the rotting wood directly beneath the open window groaning ominously beneath her feet. Quickly moving away from any weather-exposed openings, she was able to find firmer footing.

The space was perhaps 20 feet by 40 feet, and was completely devoid of any furnishings. The bare wooden floor was covered in rat and bird droppings in several areas, but it couldn't be much worse than sleeping in the forest and waking up with unwelcome bugs and other crawling guests in your bed roll. It definitely wouldn’t be a comfortable stay, but she doubted any of the mortals around here would try getting into the attic like she did. Finding a relatively clean section to settle into and rest for the night, she placed an equally exhausted Silas in her lap and they both went to sleep.

A series of boyish shouts and hollers woke her from her slumber hours later, and she peeked through her window entrance to see if she could find the source. Down the street, she saw a short and lanky boy—perhaps aged 12—running from a pack of 4 older teens.

“Get ‘im!”

“Quit running, runt!”

“When we get our hands on you…”

They shouted obscenities and curses at the boy as he sprinted away, his racing legs and pumping arms slowly putting distance between himself and the enraged group. Samantha was quite impressed at the speed of his flight, and she speculated that his Agility was probably as high as hers was when she was mortal. She was debating whether to step in if the kid got into real trouble, when suddenly, he made a right turn down a narrow alley across from her. She watched in fascination as he leapt in-between the two buildings on either side of him, gaining height with each jump, until he was able to grab hold of a slanted roof. She observed him scramble up to the roof and lay flat against it, a huge smile spreading across his face as the other boys followed his path into the alley and were unable to locate him.

“Spread out! He can’t have gotten far. Bullseye, you take the left. Skipper and I will go straight. Spider you take the right.” The biggest teen ordered.

“You got it, boss!” the three others replied, each following their assigned task.

Samantha watched in growing amusement as they circled the area without ever catching sight of the lanky boy, eventually being led off the trail when he tossed a stone back towards the way they had come to lead them away from his hiding spot. They took the bait beautifully, following the sound and leaving the fleeing boy in the clear. She found herself smiling at his triumph as he let himself down from the roof and took his leave, and wondered what mischief he had gotten himself into that resulted in him being chased down like that.

Satisfied that no intervention on her part was needed, she looked to the sky to get a sense for what time it was. The mother star was directly above her, while the father star was nearing the tops of the mountain ranges in the west, so she estimated that sunrise would occur within the next 2 hours. She doubted that she’d gain much from sleeping another 30 minutes, so she repacked a sleepy Silas in her bag and set off for the middle ring of the city where she lived.

As she left the slums, the roads became paved and she entered much more familiar territory. The buildings here were of classical wooden construction, practical, sturdy, and with the occasional architectural flourish. Now that morning was approaching, she had to be a little more cautious not to be seen by the early risers, especially since her appearance stood out much more here than in the shantytown. Fortunately, with the increased volume of houses, storage buildings, shops, and their proximity to each other, there were ample backstreets that she could take to avoid notice.

It became more difficult as she got closer to the center of the city and the residents generally were wealthier, though. Homes got larger, sat upon larger plots of land, and had more space between them than their predecessors. Still, by avoiding lamplight and sticking as best as she could to the shadows, turning down alternate pathways when she noticed someone walking towards her in the distance, and occasionally moving across tiled roofs when no other option was available, she succeeded at remaining mostly unseen. At the very least, no one chased her down after spotting her, which she counted as a win.

The sky was obviously lightening now, and she was nearing the Cray family crafting complex where her parents resided, but she didn’t travel there directly. Instead, she took a small detour to a home a few blocks away: Thomas’s. What she needed most at the moment was information about her status in town and what level of danger she currently faced. As a self-proclaimed “ladies’ man”, her cousin was always up to date on the latest and greatest gossip due to his frequent encounters with the socialites of the city. If he didn’t already know the situation, then she was certain he would be able to find out for her.

She tentatively approached his front door and raised her fist to knock, but her paranoia stopped her before her knuckles touched the wood. What would she do if Thomas wasn’t alone inside? What if a woman answered the door instead of him? She stood indedcisively for a moment, staring at the door, before she shook her head to try and clear her thoughts. She’d cross that bridge when she got there. It was unlikely, even if the Braxand’s had started working with the city to find her, that every single person in town would be looking for her. She raised her fist to knock again when a voice called out to her from inside the house.

“Who’s lurking outside my door at this hour?” a muffled and irritated male voice demanded. “If you’re thinking to try and rob me, I highly recommend choosing a mortal’s house instead. Proceed at your peril.”

Killing intent seeped through the wood and made Samantha feel like the gravity around her had increased two-fold. The air vibrated with the promise of violence, with such ferocity that every hair stood on end. Surprised by the sheer force of it, she stumbled back and nearly fell to her knees. She felt Silas begin to panic as well as the invisible weight settled on him in the pack, and she quickly called out.

“Thomas, quit it. It’s Samantha! I just got back from my cultivation quest.”

Immediately the burden vanished, and the door whipped open, revealing a wide-eyed and suddenly very awake Thomas.

“Sam! You’re—” he took a step forward and then wrinkled his nose, taking a step back. “Good gods, you reek. When’s the last time you bathed, woman?”

“I—”

“And what in the hell are you wearing?”

“These—”

“Never mind that, people are going to think you’re a beggar if they see you. Come on inside, and we’ll set you right.” He stepped back from the doorway and urgently waved her inside.

Samantha stepped across the threshold and sighed. She had almost forgotten what it was like to have a conversation with Thomas. Almost.

He closed the door behind her and jogged past her towards the bathroom. She could hear a flint being struck and a stream of water hitting the bottom of some metal basin before her cousin reappeared in the front room where she had stayed.

Figuring that she might as well get all the shocking surprises out of the way now, she opened her pack to let Silas out and removed her head wrap, revealing her barely stubbled head and eyebrows.

“You can come out now, Silas. Thomas is my family, and he won’t let anyone know about you if I tell him not to. Right, Thomas?” Samantha said, sending a deceivingly sweet smile in her cousin’s direction.

“Stars above… Your hair! Your eyebrows! And a… is that a bonded beast? I’ve never seen one like that before. Yes, yes of course I will keep it a secret if you want it to be. But why?”

Samantha opened her mouth to speak, but Thomas cut in before she could reply.

“Actually, hold that thought. Bathe first, then talk. You can borrow one of the robes left behind by… well, an extra robe I have lying around.”

Samantha closed her mouth, rolled her eyes, and marched dutifully to the bathroom. Thomas was someone who was deeply concerned with appearances, so she knew that he wouldn’t be able to let her unwashed and badly dressed state slide no matter how curious he was about everything. Over the years, she had learned that it was often easier to just go along with his whims most of the time, so she obliged.

“Silas, please be on your best behavior and don’t eat anything you’re not supposed to.” She instructed, “And Thomas… fair warning that Silas will be tempted to eat any valuable alchemical herbs you may have lying around, so try and put them out of his reach.”

And with that, she enjoyed a sinfully blissful bathing experience. Thomas’s bathroom was fitted with a metal tub covered in heating talismans, as well as a toilet and a mirror. There were some scented candles that Thomas must have lit earlier, and the soft light they gave off created an atmosphere of coziness and comfort. After infusing the talismans on the tub with some of her qi, the water inside quickly heated to a steaming temperature. She turned off the spigot that was feeding the water into the basin and stepped inside, practically moaning in delight at the sensation of hot waters on her skin. Weeks of sweat, grime, and dirt were rinsed away as she soaked, and she spent a few heavenly minutes just enjoying the fact that she wasn’t squatting in some near-freezing stream or frantically searching for prowling beasts.

She didn’t feel comfortable totally luxuriating though, as she had originally come to Thomas with an express purpose in mind. She didn’t necessarily need to do everything as quickly as possible but wasting more time than she needed to wouldn’t help her case either. Reluctantly, she scrubbed herself down with sweet smelling soaps before doing a final rinse and draining the now-brown waters. Stepping out of the tub, she thoroughly dried off with a plush towel folded nearby and gave herself a once over in the mirror.

Wiping the fog from the surface, sharp, upturned eyes the color of freshly tilled earth stared back from a vaguely familiar face. She swiveled her head left and right, absorbing all the changes that her appearance had gone through during her time away. Lush hair as black as midnight was now only hinted at through the dark stubble across her scalp. She noted with some joy that while only the ghost of her gently arched eyebrows remained, more had grown back by this point than she expected. Her cheekbones and jawline had shed any traces of the softness that the relative ease of city-life had afforded her. Both had sharpened to look more angular, and while she felt this made her look more intimidating, it also gave her expression a regal or noble quality that she had previously lacked.

There was enough of her old appearance remaining where she had no trouble recognizing herself, but enough adjustments to make her do a double take when she first saw her reflection. She neither mourned the loss of what was nor rejoiced in what she had become, it simply was.

Opening the bathroom door slightly, she saw a neatly folded woman’s robe on the floor. Donning it, she was glad to wear something that at least somewhat fit her again—even if it still wasn’t exactly right. The colors were a navy blue and tan, the tones of each complementing each other nicely.

Samantha stepped out of the steamy bathroom to join Silas and Thomas in the sitting room, feeling better than she had in a long while. As soon as Thomas caught sight of her, he stood up and embraced her.

“Glad to see you’re looking more human now, cousin. You said you’ve just returned from your cultivation quest… does that mean that you haven’t seen your parents yet? They’ve been worried sick about you this whole time you know.”

“Yes, you’re the first person I’ve visited. You see, I may have gotten myself into a bit of trouble…”

“Of course, why should I have expected anything different?” He chuckled, lightly chiding her. “Well, spit it out then. Tell me everything.”